


After the Flames

by madmonnette



Series: Healing the Avengers [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Not Starker Ya Nasties, Tony Stark Is Not Ok, Tony is a worried dad, and like hell tony is going to leave peter parker to fend for himself, and they both fit really well, but they will be, completely self indulgent, early irondad and spiderson, happy is worried, he had a building dropped on him, i couldn't pick one, of course peter is injured, peter parker is not ok, post moving day, rated for language, together, tony stark is worried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-02 02:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madmonnette/pseuds/madmonnette
Summary: After Peter saves the day, Tony gets worried about his well-being and tracks him down.Peter is not ok, and Tony won't let that stand. Neither will Happy.





	After the Flames

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing except my emotions.

Tony was tracking the plane when Happy called to say that the tracker on the plane and the plane itself had been hijacked. Tony sighed. Of fucking course it was. And then Happy said that Peter had crashed the plane onto the beach at Coney Island and salvaged as much he could before leaving a disgruntled villain, a note and many, many,  _many_ webs. Tony sighed again. Of. Fucking. Course. Peter just had to save the day, didn’t he? He couldn’t be too mad at the kid. He had half-expected it, of course. But he expected little stuff. Not this. Never this.

And this. This was a goddamn mess. He had a villain to interrogate. He had alien tech people to find and, unfortunately, probably imprison. He’d rather have hired them, but whoops they chose the life of crime. But first and foremost, he had to find the spider-kid. He had to make sure the kid was okay.

He tried to call his cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. He tried it again with the same result. He told Happy to call Peter. Still went straight to voicemail. He didn’t want to call May, that would probably lead to more questions than answers. So that left actually finding the kid himself. He checked all around Coney Island. There was some blood that was kind of fresh pooled on top of a roller-coaster sign. Blood was always a good sign that Tony was getting way too old for this. Peter should know better not to leave his blood places. And Peter might not know about his grey hairs and his heart condition but he was going to find out tonight. So he cleaned it up quickly and started flying around until his search radius brought him to Peter’s apartment. As Tony hovered outside the building, he debated on whether or not he should go in. And how. But Peter poked his head out a window. Tony picked up on the kid’s annoyed eye roll before he disappeared inside for a moment. Tony watched as the kid, wrapped in a comforter it looked like, crawled his way up the building and onto the roof. While adorable, the sight was actually quite terrifying and Tony did not land until he was sure Peter was safely up there. He found Peter, burrito wrapped, with a pen light in his mouth and tech (were those phone parts?) in his hands. Tony just watched the kid fiddle while he quietly disengaged the suit. Tony walked around to grab the pen light from the kid then sat across from him and shone the light on what he was working on.

“So I guess that’s what is left of your phone.” Peter nodded quietly. “Which is why we couldn’t call you.” Peter nodded again, reassembling the casing. “Are you not talking because you’re in pain?” Peter only shook his head. “Are you not talking because you’re tired?” Peter took a moment. Then he shrugged. “Are you not talking because you think I’m going to yell at you?” Oh, there it was. Peter’s hands froze and his knuckles turned white before he loosened his grip and attached the last screw to secure the phone shut. “Well. I’m not going to yell.” Peter actually looked him in the eyes, shock written all over his face. “Jesus, am I that much of an asshole? No, Peter. Of course I’m not going to yell at you. I’m here to listen. I want to hear what went down tonight. And then I want you in that suit,” Tony pointed to the Iron Medic he had flown over in. Tony watched the kid examine the suit from the outside. It was the usual colours but there was Medic printed on the chest plate. In 23 different languages. Just because he couldn't fit 24.

Peter turned to study Tony again. He cocked his head. “Why?”

“Full disclosure?” Peter nodded. “I need to make sure you’re ok. Physically and mentally. I can’t do that blind. But I also have the feeling you need to talk about it. I never talked about any of my crap until it was too late and it really messed me up. Messed up the people around me too. I’d like to make sure that never happens to you.” Peter seemed to actually consider this. But Tony had one more thing to say. “I’m not just here because I’m grateful you saved my plane and all my tech, which I really, really am, by the way.  _Thank you_ , for that. I’m not just here because you are Spider-Man and could be an excellent addition to any team, which you absolutely are. I am here for Peter Parker. A kid who just reassembled a damaged phone after going through something really traumatic because it was what needed to be done.” Tony lightly cupped Peter’s face. “I am here because you will be great. Not as Spider-Man, not as a superhero or an avenger, but as a person. As Peter Parker. As someone who stands up for the little guy and is resourceful and smart and kind. So. Peter Parker. How was your day?”

Tony settled in to listen. Peter didn’t always look at him, and his hands were fiddling with the small screwdriver and pliers, and he shifted around a lot, clearly trying to get comfortable, but he did talk. He started at the beginning. Tony learned that Peter had been early to school and had time to get second breakfast, even if it was cafeteria food. Peter had gotten a physics test back and he’d had the only perfect score. Tony actually broke in to congratulate him on that. And Peter’s smile at the praise warmed his heart. He learned that Peter had asked out his crush that afternoon to the Homecoming that was that evening. And all the nuances that surrounded that. Tony chuckled at that. Kid had balls. And so did the girl. They laughed as he recalled trying to learn how to tie a Windsor knot and Tony resolved to make sure the kid always knew he could come to him for that sort of stuff. Peter described how scared he was when he arrived at his date’s house to find none other than an alien tech weapons dealer at the door. Tony watched as Peter mentally kicked himself at how he had treated Liz. Being standoffish and ditching her at the dance after her father threatened him with a gun outside of a school. Tony thought it was a fair reaction but clearly Peter felt bad that he had ignored and embarrassed another human being.

The rest was a little hazy, which was to be expected with all the adrenaline. Peter told him that he had suited up, fought someone named ‘The Shocker’ and destroyed some school property and also that “the undersides of bus seats are ridiculously nasty, did you know that Mister Stark?” Tony had just smiled and shook his head, making a note to wipe the security footage at the school and anonymously fund the repairs and replacements. He learned that a friend called ‘Ned’ had located his phone (“you had the wherewithal to plant your phone in the car so you could track him? Wow kid, very smart. Glad you had Ned in your corner as back up.” “Yeah! He helped me drive a car!” “And what happened to that car?” “Um. Totaled? Yeah no, its definitely totaled.”) and got caught under a building, as was Toomes’ plan. Tony saw the panic attack coming and found himself pressing the kid’s ear to his chest before he even thought to move. He told the kid to breathe with him. He reminded Peter that we wasn’t alone. And when Peter started the grand finish to the story, he just continued to hold him as Peter’s voice trembled and Tony’s shirt got wet from the tears that Peter could not stop.

Tony was glad he didn’t stop them. Tony just rocked the spider-burrito in his arms as he finally _felt_ everything that happened that night. The stress and the pain and the fear and even the excitement at a job well-enough done. But a superhero job well done was traumatic. And even though Peter was clinging to him, he could tell that he was uncomfortable with showing ‘weakness.’

“You were so strong, Peter.” The kid only cried harder. “You lifted a building. You called for help. You _saved_ a man half-bent on killing himself for a profit. You did incredible things tonight, Peter. And I am so proud of you.”

Peter managed to choke out words through his sobs. “Even though I’m drenching your shirt with my tears? That’s not very strong.”

Tony held Peter tighter. “Telling me about this, and feeling everything in front of someone? That is the bravest thing you’ve done this evening. You are not weak, you are allowing yourself to be vulnerable at this moment. And that is something most people, heroes or not, are not strong enough to do. And I’m honoured that you trust me enough to let that guard down and allow me to help you.”

Tony allowed that to sink in.

“After New York. After Sokovia. I had awful nightmares. I never told anyone how I really felt. I was rude to Pepper. I never slept, if I could help it. And even then, only it short nals perfectly timed to wake me up before the nightmares could come. I shut everyone out. I worked only on suits and I would do it all the time. I wouldn’t allow that vulnerability to show. It almost killed Pepper, Rhodey, the President, and myself. We need people who can see us for who we are. Pepper and Rhodey can read me so easily. I’ve opened up to them. I talk with them. I cry with them. I laugh with them.”

Peter was quiet. “Did the Avengers ever open up to each other?”

Tony sighed. He saw that question coming. “No. And it broke us apart. We didn’t know each other. We had each other’s back, but we didn’t have each other’s trust. Which, I know, weird dichotomy and it clearly didn’t work.”

“So. You think this is how heroes are supposed to act? Cuddly and emotional and using each other as snot rags and emotional soundboards?”

“Emotional soundboards. I like that kid. Makes it sound more superhero-y, less crying in the club.” Peter gave a wet chuckle. “But yeah. Heroes are supposed to have at least one person they can go to when they need to let it all out. And in teams, its better if everyone is open and honest and vulnerable with each other. Otherwise you get distrust, competition, misunderstanding- all the seeds to sow discontent and discord.”

“How can you trust them if you don’t know them?”

“Exactly.”

They were silent, content to look out over the New York skyline. “Are you okay, Mister Stark?”

Tony looked down at Peter, shocked. That question he did not see coming. “Honestly? No. I’m not. I have a plane full of stuff for people who never trusted me but I cant stop because I know they’ll need it and I _know_ , in every fibre of my being I know, one day, one thing will be catastrophic enough to bring them back.”

“They won’t come back before then?”

The kid was too smart for his own good. “I hope they will. I wish they would or could. But no. They don’t trust me to keep them safe. Which I can’t do. I tried. And I created a murder bot that literally uprooted an entire city.”

“You were trying, Mister Stark. And you got Vision out of the deal.”

“The hardest lesson to learn is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, kid. Cliché, I know, but true. I created hell on Earth. And we gained Wanda and Vision. But at what cost? Homes and lives destroyed. Bruce gone. The team more fragile than before. They used to call me the Merchant of Death. I stopped making weapons-“

“If you finish that sentence, Mister Stark, I will smack you.” Tony pulled back and stared at the kid. “Hindsight is 20/20, if we are speaking in clichés. You have a great mind, which means that you dream big. And dreams can turn into nightmares. That’s nobody’s fault. You were doing the best you could with the information and support you had at the time. You did the best you could, Mister Stark. You _did_ the _best_ that  _you_ could.”

Tony smiled. “Where did you learn that?”

Peter avoided his eyes. “I’ve been to therapy before. It was the first thing she taught me. I did the best I could.”

Now Tony was concerned. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Peter vigorously shook his head. “I don’t like talking about it. It’s a dark spot in my past that I don’t like to or need to dwell on.”

Tony made Peter look at him. “If it ever becomes a problem, if _anything_ ever becomes a problem, you _call me_ or Happy or May or Ned. Hell. Call all of us. We’ll all be there for you.”

Peter leaned back into him. “I think I can do that.”

Tony allowed himself a moment to collect his emotions and thoughts again.

“So how did you manage to fix your phone?”

“Oh! I have some stuff here but I kept an eye out for good stuff on the way back. Found a really old Nokia in the trash and managed to get enough parts out of it fix mine up nicely enough. Glass is cracked to pieces  though. As long as no one else uses it, it should be fine. My skin is too tough for it.”

Tony ruffled his hair. “You amaze me, kid. Fresh off your first big villain and you stop to pick up tech scraps from dumpsters. Does it work?”

Peter had the gall to look offended. “Of course it works!  _I_ fixed it!”

Tony laughed. A true, glorious laugh of pure joy. “Well then I better make sure you have my number then, Underoos. And. It’s time for the metal medical man to check you out. Up, in you go.”

“Wait. I really do get to go in the suit?”

“Yes. But no flying! It’ll set bones, take x-rays and other images, deliver some medicines, and defibrillate. But if I ever have to restart your heart, I swear to every being my lecture will make it stop again.”

“Mister Stark. That is so cool. Does it have a name?”

“Iron Medic? I don’t know, I wasn’t feeling creative enough for it. Now stop ogling it and get in.”

Peter seemed hesitant, but stepped in the suit anyway. Tony checked over Peter’s phone and found it completely functional. He wished he could say he wasn’t surprised, but he really had underestimated the kid. He should _actually_ mentor him, in more than just superhero stuff.

“Mister Stark, I should warn you, it sounds bad, but I’m ok, honest.”

Tony sighed and put on his HUD glasses and earpiece so he could talk to FRIDAY. “Report.”

The Irish lilt did nothing to soften the blow. “All ribs have been severely bruised, cracked, or thoroughly broken. It looks like his right lung was punctured but has since repaired itself. I am detecting lots of gravel and soot in his lungs.”

“Gravel, Parker? How in the hell did you _inhale_ gravel?”

“Collapsed building Mister Stark! Lots of stuff came up and my mask came off so my mouth and nose were unprotected. Is that why my lungs feel _gravelly_?”

Tony could hear the smirk from behind the mask. “Oh my god, Peter. Gravelly? That’s the best you got?” Peter’s laugh (and cough) were all he got back. “Go on, FRI, hit me with the rest of it.”

“Concussion and some skull fractures but none depressed or serious. Multiple puncture wounds on the upper torso. They are not too deep but I recommend steps to avoid infection as they may take some time to heal. Strained muscles in the arms and shoulders. I suspect he dislocated his right shoulder but it has properly set itself and the muscle is already showing improvement. Both wrists are severely sprained, so badly that I think they were originally broken. He has a small crack in his left hip and a stress fracture in his left femur. Would you like to hear my recommended course of treatment?”

“Besides putting the kid in a bubble so he can never, ever get hurt like this again? Sure. Go on.”

“I recommend disinfection of all puncture wounds, lots of food, and lots of rest.”

“Why the food, FRIDAY?”

“Mr. Parker informed me of his enhanced healing and metabolic rate when I offered him painkillers. He says he’s always mostly if not completely healed by morning and he always heals faster when he eats more.”

“FRIDAY! You said you wouldn’t tell!”

“Can you hear my earpiece in my ear from inside a metal suit 20 feet away?”

“Um. Yes?”

Tony shook his head. “Anything else I should know about?”

“I don’t like dark, small spaces for some reason and the curiosity of what I _could_ see disappeared as soon as I picked it apart. Not like physically. Just, ya know, in my head to keep me distracted.”

Tony immediately opened the suit. “I’m sorry, kid. I didn’t think. Are you okay?”

Peter nodded, relief flooding through his limbs. “Oh, yeah. Much better now, too. Thanks.” Peter shivered.

Tony grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around Peter again. “Are you cold or hungry?”

Peter grinned sheepishly as his stomach growled. “Um. Both? But I have some snacks that I can eat in my room. I just need them and some sleep.”

“Uh-uh kid. I am going to fill up your tank and clean you up then I’ll put you to bed. Did May see you come home?”

“Um, no she didn’t. But you don’t have to do all that Mister Stark. I’m fine I swear.”

“Is May expecting you home?”

“Uh, no. I’m supposed to be at Ned’s.”

“Does she need updates for where you are?”

“Yeah. But I just got my phone back up and running.”

“Well, kid. Tell her whatever you want. Happy is here with a me-tested first aid kit and the car. What do you want to eat?”

“Mister Stark. It’s 2 in the morning. What’s even open?”

“24 hour diners and McDonald’s probably.” Tony watched Peter’s eyes glaze over at the mention of McDonald’s. “Mickey D’s it is then. Are you flying or crawling?”

Peter looked at the suit. “I’ll crawl if it’s all the same to you, Mister Stark. But I need to grab some things before we go.”

Tony stepped into the suit and waved at him to lead the way. “Oh and by the way Peter, nice comforter.”

Tony watched Peter actually look at the thing he had dragged outside and wrapped himself in. He watched the horror fill Peter’s eyes as he realized who was on it. He laughed as the kid sputtered and tried to apologize for wearing an Iron Man comforter in front of Iron Man himself.

“Don’t sweat it kid. I’m sure in no time at all I will have all the Spider-Man merch I need to return the favour." Tony winked as Peter's face blushed an even brighter red. "Now come on. Your belly isn’t going to fill itself.”

Peter just blushed and scurried down the building. Tony followed and hovered, back turned, as Peter did whatever he needed to do. When he heard the window close, he followed him to the ground and then sent the suit on its way.

Happy was waiting outside the car when they walked up to it. He nodded to Tony and then wrapped Peter in a hug. Even Tony was surprised at the display. But Peter returned the hug, with a slight grimace.

“Careful, Hap. Kid’s bruised whatever he hasn’t broken. Including his ribs.”

Happy immediately released Peter, a guilty look on his face.

“I’m sorry, Peter. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to your friend. And I’m _so_ happy that you are ok.”

“Thanks, Happy! It’s totally good though. You did the best you could.”

Happy looked baffled and Tony just smiled. That kid. He had the biggest heart in the world and not a begrudging bone in his body.

“Come on, Hap. We need some McD’s and you’re just the Asset Manager to get us there.” Happy rolled his eyes but opened the car door for them anyway.

“Alright, little spider. You want to clean your wounds before or after food?”

Peter chewed his lip. “As much as I don’t want to get blood in your car, before is better. I don’t want them to heal infected bits inside.”

Tony nodded, horrified and pleased at the answer. “Alright then. Only punctures are on your torso right?” Peter nodded. “I know it’s weird, but you gotta let me at ‘em.” Peter looked very uncomfortable. “I can turn around and you can do the ones on your front, if you want but I need to get the ones on your back.”

“How about a compromise? You do the back while I do the front?”

Tony grinned, subtly swallowing the lump in his throat that tasted a lot like guilt and regret. “Smart. Let's do it.”

Peter smiled back then turned so his back was facing Tony. He pulled his sweatshirt off slowly, revealing a black, blue, and red back. Tony’s heart skipped a beat and he stifled a gasp.

“I promise it looks worse than it feels. And it’ll be much better by morning.”

Tony said nothing, just ripped open an antiseptic wipe and handed the isopropyl alcohol bottle and some gauze to Peter. He slowly wiped all the blood from Peter’s back, being as gentle as he could. They worked silently, emptying antiseptic wipe packets, passing the disinfectant and antibiotic cream back and forth along with the medical tape to secure the gauze to the sluggishly bleeding wounds.

“We might have to change it all after food, but you should be good for now.”

Happy directed them to the nearest McDonald’s off the highway.

“Where are we going?” Peter clearly hadn’t noticed they had been driving away from the city the entire time.

“Well, McDonald’s on exits are usually the most bare, especially at 230 am. Not to mention, I no longer have any real estate in New York City. You might have noticed that I sold it.”

Peter snorted. “No. I hadn’t noticed at all.”

Tony chuckled. Sass was good. “Weird. Could have sworn we set off fireworks. Spur of the moment. Completely last minute.”

They both laughed at that as Happy pulled into the McDonald’s and parked, a small smile on his face too.

Tony turned to Peter. “Alright, Parker. Ground rules. You are going in there and eating everything I put in front of you until you tell me you can’t eat anymore or they run out of food. You can say ‘thank you’ once and ‘I’m sorry’ nonce. You don’t get to worry about how much you’re eating or how much it costs. That’s my job. And I’m not worried about it.”

Tony lightly grabbed and squeezed the kid’s shoulder. Then he quickly exited the car before Peter could start to protest. Or sputter some syllables that started out as words of protest but got stuck.

Tony started walking leisurely towards the front door, Happy following loosely behind. Tony heard the car door shut softly and a soft scamper of footsteps across the pavement. Tony turned and opened an arm and the kid slipped under it like it was no big deal.

“Thank you.” It was whispered, but completely heartfelt. Tony ruffled the boy’s hair and pulled his head closer.

“Anytime, Peter.”

They walked into the brightly lit and very empty McDonald’s. One staff member was mopping the floors while another was reading a textbook at the counter. Tony sauntered his way to the counter and patiently waited for the student to find a stopping place in her reading.

“Thank you for your patience how-” the employee, Jessica by her nametag, looked at the three of them in shock. Tony Stark, a rumpled teenager, and a body guard looking guy walk into a McDonald’s at 3 am. Tony wondered what the punchline was. Probably a tabloid title.

Tony gave her his blinding paparazzi smile. “Hi, Jessica. I know this is weird. And it’s about to get weirder. This kid here needs as much food as he can eat, and this kid can eat. He could probably eat everything in this restaurant but I’m sure you need food before your delivery truck comes.” Tony put a few hundred dollar bills on the counter. “This should get us started. Let me know when we go over that.”

Jessica just nodded dumbly, still in shock.

“Kid, what do you want to start with?”

Peter rolled his eyes, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Burgers and fries. As much meat and cheese as I can get. Pepperjack if you have it. Maybe some pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. Oh! And some eggs, please.” It was half-muttered but Tony could hear the desire underneath it.

“And let’s get a couple of salads and some fruit cups so he can start on something healthy. And some milk. Good for bones. Quite a few cartons of those, like 5, a cup for water, a cup for soda and a very large coffee, black.”

Jessica nodded and got to work. She gave them their cups and drinks and salads and fruit then turned to start ordering the rest of the staff around. Tony led Peter and Happy to a large booth close to the counter. He pulled a salad and his coffee close to him and pushed the milk and fruit towards Peter. “So. Tell me more. What’s been happening? What’s shaking in the land of Peter Piper?”

Peter actually groaned and threw his head back. “Mister Staaaark. That terminology is so two generations ago.”

“Whatever, kid. Tell me more about you.”

So Tony listened as Peter rambled about his boring chemistry teacher, his experiments with his web fluids that ended anywhere between success and disaster, and how literature was really interesting but he hated picking out symbolism when he just got so engrossed in the story. Peter talked about Star Wars and Ned and May and decathlon and robotics club. He told Tony all about how he started fixing up computers and DVD players and video game consoles. And how he either sold them when they needed some extra money or donated them to shelters or hospitals when he could. Tony felt a surge of pride at how selfless and good and smart the kid was. He had no claim to it, but he was proud of the kid anyway. And Peter just kept putting away all the food they brought him. He didn’t even seem to notice as he somehow ate, talked, and smiled all at once. Peter ate until Jessica came over empty handed.

“I’m afraid that’s all we have for you. Anything else I can do for you?”

“Yeah. Hap, take the kid to the car and get it started. I’ll finish up in here.”

Peter looked at him questioningly while Happy just rolled his eyes. He knew what Tony was going to do. Tony could handle this. Happy escorted the kid out of the building and Tony turned to a very sweaty, very tired Jessica.

“Thank you for all your hard work. I’m sure you understand that we want this kept quiet and under wraps.”

Jessica nodded. “It’s not every day Tony Stark comes in with an obviously enhanced human. We will be discreet.”

“Thank you, Jessica.” Tony pulled out 5 more hundred dollar bills. “This should cover the rest of the food. And your tips and any trouble we caused.”

“Sir. This is-”

“You’re right. Not nearly enough. You’re in school.” He handed another couple bills to her. “That should cover it then. You have a great night. Thank you for all your help.” He winked at her then swaggered out the door, leaving an intrigued, confused, and exhausted crew behind. He had a spider-baby to put to bed and monitor. Everything else could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave me a kudos and/or a comment if your emotions move you so! Happy feeling!


End file.
